INSTITUTE INDEX: Florida court could block progressive amendments in 2020
Floridians sign a petition supporting a constitutional amendment to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour. Image from Fight for 15 Florida.
(The Florida Supreme Court approved the $15 minimum wage amendment for the 2020 ballot on Dec. 19, 2019.)
Number of proposed 2020 constitutional amendments in Florida with enough signatures to trigger review by the state Supreme Court: 4
Total appointments by first-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to the seven-member Florida Supreme Court, once the governor fills two current vacancies: 5
Of the governor's three appointments so far, number that belong to the conservative Federalist Society: 2
Of the four proposed amendments pending review by the court, total opposed by Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody: 3
Hourly statewide minimum wage that would be established by one proposed amendment awaiting judicial review: $15
Date on which the Florida Supreme Court began its review of the ballot language for the $15 minimum wage, which did not receive any briefs in opposition: 4/22/2019
Under another proposed amendment banning assault weapons, maximum rounds of ammunition that rifles and shotguns could hold: 10
Date on which the Florida high court will hear arguments over the proposed amendment to ban assault rifles and another that would legalize marijuana: 2/4/2020
Date on which the sponsors of an amendment that would end Florida's monopoly energy market were questioned by the justices about whether the ballot language provides enough information to voters: 8/23/2019
Total amount of secret money spent so far in the drive for Florida's 2020 constitutional amendments, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: $21 million
Amount of secret money funding a drive to amend the state constitution to prohibit voting by non-citizens, which is not currently legal anywhere in Florida: $8.3 million
Contribution from one nonprofit to a group gathering signatures for an amendment that would make it harder for citizens to amend the constitution, according to Orlando Weekly: $1.5 million
Spending by a nonprofit think tank established by a Washington, D.C., lobbyist on research and messaging opposing the nationwide "Fight for $15" campaign: $19 million
Total amount of money, most of it from secret sources, raised to gather signatures for the amendment to open electric energy markets to competition: $5.5 million
Date on which Florida's Republican legislature passed the latest in a series of laws making it harder for citizens to amend the constitution: 5/3/2019
Date on which Florida voters ratified an amendment to restore voting rights to well over 1 million people with felony convictions: 11/6/2018
Number of major political parties opposed to a potential 2020 amendment to replace state primary elections with a single "top-two" primary open to independents and candidates from any party: 2
(Click on figure to go to source.)
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Billy Corriher
Billy is a contributing writer with Facing South who specializes in judicial selection, voting rights, and the courts in North Carolina.